COLE BAY--Scotiabank on Welfare Road, Cole Bay, was the victim of an armed robbery on Wednesday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, three armed men entered the bank, discharged their firearms into the air and told everyone to "shut up." Another witness stated that three shots had been fired and customers had been made to lie on the floor.

The robbers then took an undisclosed amount of cash from the tellers and made off in a blue minivan. The alarm button was said to have been activated only after the robbers left the bank.

The getaway vehicle was located by police up a road across from Tropicana Casino. Its ignition appeared to have been hotwired and the robbers are believed to have made off on foot in the Cay Bay area. Police units were seen looking for the robbers in the area of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Cay Bay on Wednesday morning and police surrounded the area in an effort to find them.

Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson confirmed that the incident had taken place, but was still in the process of collating information up to press time.